It sounds silly to hire a technician to do the work you can easily do yourself, right? But, the real question to if you do it yourself is, “Will it be done right?” If you’ve learned nothing else from watching reruns of Home Improvement, it’s that making fixes to your home yourself is best left to the professionals.
Mark Wethington, owner of B&J Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning Inc., says that three-quarters of the repairs and replacements that his team does are caused by improper installation. There are a number of benefits, he insists, to having a professional do the work for you the first time such as:
Figure in the cost of operation: While right now it may seem like it will be cheaper for you to do the work yourself and not have to pay labor fees, take a step back and plan for your future. If it is an appliance that runs on electricity or water, account how it will affect your monthly bills. If you have an electric water heater and you don’t install it properly, then it will be draining more electricity than it really needs, leading to higher bills for you. If you calculate all the extra money you spent on the electric bill because of the improper installation, it will probably be more then you would have spent to hire a technician.
They know the laws: Whenever you do a remodel or renovation to your home and you are adding space that wasn’t there before, or making major updates, you need to make sure you have all the proper permits to do so. If you don’t have all of the correct permits that your town expects, then your insurance company can refuse to cover any damage that occurs as a result of building. Specialists also have a vast knowledge of all the codes that need to be met for your home to pass inspection. If something is done against the law, not only will you have to pay to correct it, but you may face fines as well.
Get the most out of your appliance: With experience and certification comes the guarantee that the machines in your home will function as they are intended to if put in place and maintained by a proper technician. Not only will the product last longer and be more efficient, but manufacturers are also more willing to honor warranties if you can prove through receipts that the breakdown of the product or a part was not your fault.
They’re the experts: Most importantly, this is their job, their trade, their expertise. You probably wouldn’t be comfortable performing a root canal on a friend, so leave the expertise to the experts. There are a bunch of little tricks and combinations that the technicians know that you are probably unaware of. And, if something does happen to go wrong, then it will be their job to come and fix their mistakes at no cost to you. It’s a win-win situation.
